The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 18, 1988
Filed:
Oct. 15, 1987
Edward J Choinski, Wayland, MA (US);
MultiTek Corporation, Wayland, MA (US);
Abstract
An apparatus and method for temporarily sealing holes in printed circuit boards are disclosed. The apparatus comprises two major assemblies: a heater block assembly and a vacuum table assembly. The heater block assembly employs a temperature controlled, insulated heater block having a surrounding, movable vacuum collar. A flexible, thermally conductive vacuum skin is mounted on the movable vacuum collar and forms a vacuum chamber in cooperation with a movable vacuum table having a flat, thermally conductive porous plate whose upper surface is parallel to the vacuum table surface. A cooling block in contact with the thermally conductive porous plate cools the porous plate. A sandwich comprising a porous release sheet, the printed circuit board, a thermodeformable material and a thermally conductive cover sheet are positioned on the cooled porous plate. The vacuum table and sandwich are moved together so that the table forms a sealing relation with the flexible, thermally conductive vacuum skin. A vacuum is then drawn in the now formed vacuum chamber forcing the skin against the sandwich to compress the porous release sheet between the printed circuit board and the flat, cooled porous plate thereby cooling the sandwich. The flexible, thermally conductive vacuum skin, sandwich and vacuum table are moved into a position in which the skin is forced into thermally conductive contact with the heater block. Heat from the heater block softens the thermodeformable material so that it deforms into the holes of the printed circuit board forming protectively sealing plugs therein. After cooling produced by the cooled porous plate, the vacuum table is moved in the reverse direction to permit removal of the sandwich.